The death toll from heavy rains that have lashed Rio Grande do Sul in recent days has risen to 100, local civil defense said on Wednesday, as Brazil’s southernmost state braces for more rain in the coming hours and days.
The storms caused flooding that destroyed bridges and buildings, turned streets into rivers and left more than 163,000 displaced in the Rio Grande do Sul, which borders Uruguay and Argentina.
According to the data of the State Administration of Civil Protection, 128 persons are still missing.
– We lost everything – said Adriana Freitas from the capital Porto Alegre.
– It is sad when we see the city, our house, in the middle of the water; it seems that it is over, that it is the end of the world – she said.
Brazil’s National Center for Natural Disasters said on Tuesday that the country’s southern region was at “high risk” of further flooding on Wednesday, with rainfall expected to resume. Although it is not expected to be significant in terms of volume, water levels are already high in many places and the soil is saturated.
Forecaster MetSul said in a statement that the region could face more “very large” floods of “serious proportions”.
Government officials reiterated that aid is coming to Rio Grande do Sul, and the federal government said it would soon announce credit lines to help companies, farmers, cities and the state government.
Photo: archive/illustration
